Ventilated shipping container for fruits and vegetables



March 21, 1961 ROYCE 2,975,926

VENTTLATED SHIPPING CONTAINER FOR FRUITS AND VEGETABLES Filed Dec. 12,1956 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 |5 'l5 l5 I5 I U I I I \I I I Dy I l I I l I13/"// I111 Il /I IFHE u 2 INVENTOR.

MARK B. ROYCE A TTOR/VE Y5.

M. B. ROYCE March 21, 1961 VENTILATED SHIPPING CONTAINER FOR FRUITS ANDVEGETABLES 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Dec.

INVENTOR.

MARK B. ROYCE ATTORNEYS.

VENTILATED SWPING CGNTAINER FOR FRUITS AND VEGETABLES Mark B. Royce,Hohokus, N.J., assignor to Continental Can Company, Inc, New York, N.Y.,a corporation of New York Filed Dec. 12, 1956, Ser. No. 627,312

1 Claim. (Cl. 217-42 The invention relates to a ventilated shippingcontainer for fruits and vegetables, including an improved system forcombining fiberboard and wood in the construction or" such a container.

Definition Heretofore, in combining the use of fiberboard and wood inmaking shipping containers, pieces of wood have been used as stitfenersin framing the container. Such wood pieces frequently form the ends ofthe containers or frames for ends covered with fiberboard. Sometimessolid wood ends or sides, or both, are wrapped inside folds of thefiberboard, or separate stilfening slats are stapled to the fiberboard.In contradistinction to such constructions, my container incorporates,as side walls, unitary wood slatted structures having wood slats securedin spaced relationship upon wood stringers. A further distinguishingfeature of my container is that these side walls are unattached to thefiberboard part of the container and remain so even after the containerhas been filled and is ready for shipment. Thus, in its generalarrangement, my improved shipping container comprises a bottom, top andends formed of fiberboard, and sides formed of unattached unitary woodslatted structures. The fiberboard bottom, top and ends have narrowmarginal flaps along their edges folded upwardly from the bottom,downwardly from the top, and inwardly from the ends and secured to oneanother, as by metal staples, to form continuous marginal flangesoverlapping the peripheries of the wood slatted structures. The latterare unattached to the fiberboard part of the container and are held inpositions adjacent the flanges by pressure of the contents of thecontainer.

The four fiberboard panels which constitute the bottom, top and ends ofthe container, are connected end to end to form a continuous band. Themarginal flaps along one of the side edges of the panels are folded overand stapled at the corners to form a continuous flange at that side edgeof the band. The band is then rested on its side with this continuousflange down, and one of the wood slatted structures is then placedagainst the inside of the flange. After this the container is filled andthe second wood slatted structure is placed over the contents. Finally,a continuous flange is formed at the other side of the band (which atthis point is the upper side) by folding over the narrow marginal flapsand stapling atent O 2,975,926 Patented Mar. 21, 1961 them together atthe corners, and the container then turned over onto its bottom so thatthe contents come to bear against the wood slatted structures to holdthem against the flanges and thus form the sides of the container.

Description In the drawing, which shows the best mode contemplated by mefor carrying out my invention:

Fig. 1 is a face view of the fiberboard blank from which is formed thebottom, top and ends of my container.

Fig. 2 is a face, or side elevational, view of one of the unitary woodslatted structures used in forming the sides of the container.

Fig. 3 is a top perspective view of the fiberboard band forming thebottom, top and sides of the container with the flanges at one or" theedges of the band folded over and stapled together at the corners toform a continuous flange, this structure being shown turned over on itsside ready to receive one of the slatted structures of Fig. 2preliminary to loading of the container.

Fig. 4 is a vertical cross sectional view of the container structure ofFig. 3 after insertion of one of the wood slatted structures 11, andready for loading.

Fig. 5 is a cross sectional View similar to Fig. 4 illustrating thesucceeding steps of inserting the second wood slatted structure andfolding over and stapling of the malginal flaps 15 at the second side ofthe container.

Fig. 6 is a perspective view of the loaded container ready to be turnedover on its bottom so that the contents will hold the wood slatted sidesin place against the marginal flanges of the fiberboard part of thecontainer.

According to my invention there is provided a ventilated shippingcontainer for fruits and vegetables comprising four fiberboard panelsconnected end to end to form a continuous fiberboard band, namely bottompanel 7, top

panel 8, and end panels 9 and 10. These panels, and the continuousfiberboard band they form, have narrow marginal flaps 15 along theiredges. In making the blank of Fig. 1 into the container band, ready tobe shipped in fiat folded form to the packer, panels 8 and 9 are foldedover against panels 10 and 7, and the free edges of panels 8 and 9 arethen fastened together in any suitable manner as by means of adhesivetape. This flat folded fiberboard band is then shipped to the packeralong with the unitary wood slatted structures that are to form thesides of the container.

One of the wood slatted structures 11 Which form the sides of mycontainer, is shown separately in Fig. 2. It consists of wood slats 12secured in spaced relationship upon wood liners, or stringers, 13. (Inthe language of the box maker, this unitary wood slatted structure 11 iscalled a veneer panel.)

In setting up and packing the container, the continuous fiberboard bandis first erected into the form shown in Fig. 3, the flanges 15 at oneside of the band being folded over at right angles to the respectivetop, bottom and ends, and stapeled together where they overlap at thecorners, as by means of metal staples 16. This forms a continuousmarginal flange at the one side of the fiberboard part of the container.With this structure resting in a position in which this continuousflange is down, one of the veneer side panels is dropped inside the bandand comes to rest against the flange. We now have the structureillustrated in Fig. 4. After the container has been loaded, a secondveneer side panel is placed on top of the contents, and the flanges 15at the second side of the container (the side which is then uppermost)are folded over and stapled, as at 16, resulting in the structureillustrated in Figs. 5 and 6'. Finally, the container is turned overonto its bottom. 7 as indicated by the arrow a in Fig. 6, so that thecontents come to bear against the wood slatted structures, or veneerpanels, to hold them against the flanges 11, and thus form the sides ofthe container. I have found that even though these sides are notfastened in any way to the fiberboard part of the container,nevertheless the coaction between the pressure of the contents and therestraining flanges which overlap the peripheries of the veneer panels,is such as to hold the veneer panels .normal to the top and bottom ofthe container so as to form eifective, and strong, columns to sustainloads imposed when my containers are stacked upon one another forshipment in trucks, freight cars or other carriers.

In thepacking of the containers, I have found, for example, that whenthe contents are string beans, the second veneer side panel resting ontop of the produce, either drops down, or can be depressedsufi'iciently, to permit insertion of the lower arm of a conventionalstapling machine to apply the corner staples '16 previously described.Yet when the container is put over on its bottom, the beans shuck downso as to press both veneer panels tightly against the marginal flangesof the fiberboard top, bottom and ends.

The terms and expressions which I have employed are used in adescriptive and not a limting sense, and I have no intention ofexcluding such equivalents of the invention described, or of portionsthereof, as fall within the scope of the claim.

I claim:

A ventilated package for perishable articles which substantially fill ashipping container, said container comprising a rectangular fiberboardunit having four side panels, each side panel having a marginal flap ateach end which is substantially coextensive with its related side panelwherein the adjacent corners of said flaps overlap when folded into asubstantially planar position, said marginal flaps being of such a widththat when in said planar position they only partially close therespective end of the container, each end further including a slattedunit having dimensions substantially the same as the crosssectionaldimension of said container, the slats in said slatted unit being inspaced relation, and means securing the overlapped corners together atboth ends, each end of the container having one slatted unit looselycontacting the inner faces of the respective marginal flaps and formingclosures for the container ends, each slatted unit being held in contactWith its respective marginal flaps by said perishable articles withinthe container.

References Cited in the tile of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS1,511,790 Walter Oct. 14, 1924 2,233,945 Gurwick Mar. 4, 1941 2,319,641Speir May 18, 1943 2,374,793 Waters May 1, 1945 2,622,785 KieckheferDec. 23, 1952 2,698,109 Hogan et a1 Dec. 28, 1954 2,758,776 EllstromAug. 14, 1956 2,789,748 Barbour Apr. 23, 1957 2,822,971 Elmendorf Feb.11, 1958 FOREIGN PATENTS 22,731 Australia May 22, 1935

